What are the requirements for disposing of Halon and Halon-containing equipment?

According to EPA RULE 40 CFR Part 82 Protection of Stratospheric Ozone:

• Non-emergency venting of Halon is prohibited.
• Halon in equipment must be recovered by a facility that operates in accordance with NFPA standards 10 and 12A (references 23 and 24 in Appendix B, and Appendix C) (82.270(d)).

The EPA regulation further requires that Halon itself can only be disposed of by:

• Sending the Halon for recycling to a facility operating in accordance with the NFPA standards mentioned above, or
• Arranging for its destruction by a destruction process that meets relevant regulations (82.270(e)).

There are six processes that have been identified as suitable for destruction by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. These are (1) liquid injection incineration, (2) reactor cracking, (3) gaseous/fume oxidation, (4) rotary kiln incineration, (5) cement kiln, and (6) radiofrequency plasma destruction. In addition, destruction technologies that achieve destruction efficiencies of 98 percent or greater may be approved by EPA.

In the United States, very few destruction facilities for ozone-depleting substances (ODS's) such as Halons currently exist. This is due in part to technical difficulties in destroying Halons and other ODS's, and the costs of doing so. EPA continues to monitor technological developments in the United States and other countries for the destruction of ozone-depleting substances.